Two Dual-Fuel Steam Miura Boilers Chosen By Major Specialty Chemicals Plant For Energy OptimizationMiura’s On-Demand Steam, Fuel Economy, High Performance,and Compact Footprint All Cited as Contributing to Major Effi ciency Upgrade

As a diversifi ed producer of a wide range of sophisticated chemical products, FUJIFILM Hunt Chemicals, in Dayton TN, has extensive expertise in applying advanced, cost-effective technologies to its complex manufacturing processes. After initiating an energy-effi ciency survey in 2009 in conjunction with Tennessee Tech University and the U.S. Department of Energy, FUJIFILM Hunt Chemicals determined that its steam-generation capabilities needed upgrading. To meet its goal of energy economy and reduced downtime for its cyclical manufacturing processes, the company chose two EX-200 SGO dual-fuel units from Miura, the world leader in ultra-low NOx modular on-demand steam solutions.

“Overall, we run cyclical reaction batch processes,” states Manuel Calero, Maintenance Manager at FUJIFILM Hunt Chemicals. “We heat-up our reactors and then cool them down. We had two old

locomotive-style boilers, which were not well suited to the turndown when we cooled the reactors. Those boilers just sat there and made steam that was not being used, which was very ineffi cient.”

Calero researched the latest industrial steam boilers and obtained quotes from two makers of traditional-style fi re-tube models and one from Miura, which they had learned about from Combustion & Control Solutions, of Chattanooga TN. Assisted by Tennessee Tech University, FUJIFILM Hunt Chemicals examined the effi ciency specs of each brand and model of boiler and chose Miura.

“The Miura boilers defi nitely provide better cost-effi ciencies,” Calero explains, adding that current fi gures indicate a savings of approximately 33 percent in natural gas costs. “We expect that to continue to improve as we get everything in place. And whereas we once had two boilers with a full combined output of 450 horsepower, we now have one on-demand 200 horsepower Miura boiler basically running the facility on low fi re, with the second on-demand Miura sitting there on standby. The dual-boiler system has reduced potential downtime situations due to equipment failures. In the past it was diffi cult not to impact production for maintenance. Now the facility is able to operate with one boiler while performing repairs on the second unit. In addition, the facility is experiencing a reduction on production downtime when repairs are performed on steam piping. Once the repair is completed, steam service is back within fi ve minutes. It took the old boilers about 20 minutes, or 80 percent longer.”

Miura’s unique “once-through” fi n-tube design not only requires less fuel and produces fewer emissions, it also generates full steam from a cold start in fi ve minutes or less. This modular on-demand steam

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CUSTOMER: FUJIFILM Hunt

Chemicals

New installation of Miura EX-200 SGO duel-fuel on-demand boilers.

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capability makes Miura boilers particularly well-suited to a multiple installation (MI) in which boilers can be selectively turned on or off as needed to best manage changing load conditions, as opposed to idling in stand-by while they consume energy and generate emissions.

“The Miura boilers manage our ‘peaks and valleys’ very, very well,” Calero adds. “Whenever a reactor comes on line to be heated, the Miura boiler provides the steam required, and maybe 10 to 15 minutes later it goes to low fi re and drops off. These boilers also heat our buildings. Our facility runs 24/7, and we anticipate that with redundant Miura EX-200 SGO boilers in place we’ll never have to shut down because of steam issues. That’s going to give us a great deal of savings. We recently had to upgrade our gas meter and tweak our condensate-dumping system, but the facility didn’t even ‘notice’ we had done that. There was no drop in service.”

Unique AdvantagesOn-demand steam is but one of several major benefi ts of Miura boiler design. Another is reduced output levels of both nitrogen oxides (NOx), a major contributor to air pollution, and carbon dioxide (CO2), the most prevalent of greenhouse gases. Miura boilers achieve low-NOx performance by reducing the temperature of the boiler’s fl ame, which in turn reduces the amount of excited nitrogen atoms available to bond with oxygen to form nitrogen oxides. As a result, NOx emissions are reduced to around one-quarter of what traditional fi re-tube boilers emit. This enables Miura boilers to comply with even the most stringent air-quality regulations. With regard to reduced CO2 emissions, Miura’s technology leverages superior operating effi ciency to contribute signifi cant carbon abatement with a payback.

“FUJIFILM has had a green initiative for more than a decade, and we report annually on how we impact the environment,”

Calero says. “Our Miura boilers will give us a major improvement for next year’s report. It’s a much

more environmentally friendly system then what we had before.”

FUJIFILM Hunt Chemicals’ two Miura EX-200 SGO boilers are located in a central plant that pipes steam more than 1100 ft. to two separate buildings. Yet another benefi t of Miura’s boiler design is its compact footprint. This enabled Calero to have both boilers installed in an existing building instead of spending $70,000 on a new one. “That really facilitated the implementation of the project by making it a lot more affordable and reducing our payback time,” he notes.

Calero also cites the dual-fuel capability of the two boilers as a notable advantage: “They just fi nished tuning the boilers for diesel and I was expecting to see a drop in combustion effi ciency, but I didn’t,” he states. “Effi ciency numbers were just as good with diesel as they were with natural gas. With the old boilers, whenever we would switch to diesel it would take about 20 minutes for them to level out and begin to provide consistent steam to the facility. With the Miura boilers we are able to switch back and forth almost seamlessly between natural gas and diesel.”

Calero anticipates continuing benefi ts from his company’s two new Miura EX-200 SGO boilers. “Combustion and Control Solutions did a very good job of setting them up so that we would be successful with the installation,” he informs. “We are going to go back that our original energy assessment and report our numbers. More than likely we will get some additional recognition to the U.S. Department of Energy because these new Miura boilers are a big part of our energy footprint. We expect the project to pay itself back in about two years.”

“...these new Miura boilers address a big part of our energy footprint. We expect the project

to pay itself back in about two years.”

Manuel Calero, Maintenance Manager at FUJIFILM Hunt Chemicals

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